Chinatown’s New SingSing Thai Street Food Is a Jangly, Delicious Vibe

Photo: Mari Taketa

On a rainy Smith Street in Chinatown, the piercing pink of a neon sign beckons us into the bustling, vibrant space that is SingSing Thai Street Food. The decor inside Honolulu’s newest Thai eatery is a jangle of red, orange, pink, purple and aqua, and it works. It looks nothing like its predecessor in this space, Opal Thai, or any other restaurant in town. But is SingSing’s food as exciting as its looks?

Photo: Maria Burke

At 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday, more than half the tables are full, and the vibe is mounting. The restaurant is still BYOB, with bottles on some tables and other customers making quick runs to nearby liquor stores. Everything on the two-page menu is served family-style, with categories like “Flame Grilled,” “Crunchy Stuffs” and “Wraps and Bites.” Other sections list soups, mains and sweets. I clock two dozen starters alone. With so many intriguing options, I’m starting to sweat already.

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I’ve been to Bangkok twice and Chiang Mai once and eaten my share of Thai in Hawai‘i and elsewhere. I still know very little about Thai street food—but I know SingSing’s take is elevated. This is not a place where you order your go-tos of pad Thai, green papaya salad and stuffed chicken wings. You can get green curry and tom yum soup here, but the usual suspects are few and far between. For what else you can get at SingSing Thai, keep reading.

Photo: Maria Burke

Our table ends up trying 11 dishes, more than a few of which steal the show. School of Fish ($14) is a plate of piping hot and deliciously crispy spelt sprinkled with salt and served with a sing-songy Thai nước chấm for dipping. These disappear as fast as we can stuff them in our mouths.

Photo: Maria Burke

Twice-cooked pork ribs ($15) seduce us with scents of toasted five spice and caramelized meat. Garnishes of pomegranate seeds and orange segments feel unnecessary, but the tamarind sauce pops against the crispy fried pork fat and makes you want more.

Photo: Maria Burke

Other favorites include the tom yum fried rice ($20)—with extra squeezes of lime, it dances between sweet, sour and salty on your tongue. Speaking of which, the Issan beef tongue ($14) makes my entire face sweat but balances five toothsome slices with hot green chiles, nahm jihm, toasted peanuts, aromatics and herbs. This dish mirrors the now raucous energy in the room; if you’ve brought a bottle, it will inspire you to kick back a swig or two.

Photo: Maria Burke

Juicy slices of pork neck ($13) come with charred, fatty edges, almost exactly as I enjoyed in sweltering heat on the side of a Bangkok boulevard. And while the portion of panang beef cheek ($22) is modest, the fall-apart meat is free of gristle and pairs perfectly with the complex personality of the rich, peanutty curry.

Photo: Maria Burke

I love the salted coconut milk moat around the island of black sticky rice pudding ($9), but the canned lychees perched on top are a letdown. And while the coconut coconut jelly and the “Moo Deng praline” are cute, both $9 desserts are severely over-gelatinized.

Owner Pui Amatawet, who moved to Honolulu with her family recently from Bangkok, gracefully navigates the dining room, while husband Palm Amatawet heads the kitchen. Palm spent years cooking in Bali, which accounts for some of the unique flavors and presentations.

A sign in the dining room reads, “Same same but different.” That pretty much sums up the food, except the differences at SingSing Thai excite and make you want to eat through the whole menu—there’s a promise of fun around every corner. Bring your own booze and your loud friends, too. I can’t wait to return.

Open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday 5 to 10 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 5 to 10:30 p.m., 1030 Smith St., (808) 785-6463, @singsing.hawaii